On the Precipice of Hope
by Shisanpa
Summary: Mike Schmidt lands a new job at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. He stands on death's doorstep every night until the fourth night when he has a brilliant idea, "Animatronics are just robots right? Maybe I can reprogram them!"
1. DOA

Mike Schmidt stumbled into his office groggy with sleep deprivation. It was his 3rd night working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria and the work was not getting any easier. Murderous animatronics and hallucinations kept him on his toes. On top of that the lack of power running the building was limited so bull-shitting around was not an option.

Mike had opted for an easy job to pay his rent. So, while browsing through some newspapers, he applied for a security guard opening at Freddy's. The job was undemanding watch over the pizzeria for $120 a week. It would have been simple if the damn animatronics didn't come to life after midnight. But Mike couldn't leave. Bounded by the terms of his contract, he was required to stay for a whole week before he could quit.

So, he sat in the uncomfortable office chair, staring at a tablet, and fearing for his life. Currently he was watching Bonnie the pizzeria's infamous guitarist. The purple bunny was standing in the dinning hall staring at the camera. Suddenly the camera went to static and only the sound of shuffling could be heard. "C'mon you piece of crap work!" Mike cursed under his breath. The camera came back to life and Bonnie was gone. "Dammit! Where'd you go?" The guard flipped through the cameras and finally found the animatronic backstage, again staring at the camera.

Mike sighed shakily and put the tablet down. He switched on the door lights and saw that both corridors were empty. Mike paused when he heard the clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen. _'Chica must be in the kitchen'_ He thought. He glanced at the analogous numbers on the wall that read:  
><strong>TIME:<strong> 5:26  
><strong>POWER:<strong> 20%  
><strong>USAGE:<strong> [||| ||]  
>"This is gonna be close." Mike mumbled while grinding his teeth. He flipped up the tablet and switched through the cameras. Bonnie was in the supply closet, Freddy was still on stage and hadn't moved, and Chica was in the kitchen making noise.<p>

Mike quickly looked at pirate cove and almost had a heart attack when he saw Foxy glaring at the camera. "Gah!" He exclaimed then flipped to a different camera. He noticed that Bonnie was missing. Rapidly switching through cameras he began to panic. "No. No. No..." He flinched when he heard a heavy footstep thump on the carpet in the office. Mike didn't look up, he couldn't; his breathing quickened into rapid shallow breaths. Suddenly a large purple paw flew out and forcefully grabbed the tablet out of the guard's hand. Bonnie got right in Mike's face and screeched. Mike shrieked as well, but just as the large mechanical fur hands wrapped around Mike's throat. A loud ***DING*** then rang throughout the office. The bunny abruptly released the near limp guard and stomped out of the room. Mike coughed and sputtered as his lungs gasped for air. _'Shit! That was to close '_ He thought with his hand on his chest. The security guard then stood and fumbled out of the small room and to the front door in a seemingly drunken swagger. "Ah, good morning Michael!" The owner of the pizzeria greeted while stepping out of his car. He was a jolly looking fellow with a great salt n' pepper beard and a grandfatherly face. He wore a black suit with a top hat and his polished shoes clicked as he walked across the parking lot. "G'morning Mr. Fasbear." Mike said. Mr. Fasbear closed his car door and walked up to the guard. "You look a little under the weather son." He said with some concern. _'I'll say.'_ Mike thought but bit back the retort and merely smiled. "I'm alright sir." The older man studied the guard for a bit then shrugged. "Well, I expect you back tomorrow night then." Mike nodded. He tipped his hat then disappeared into the pizzeria. Mike strolled over to his beat up car, got in, and then started the engine. _'I can't wait until this is all over.'_ He contemplated as he drove down the interstate to his home.


	2. Technical Technicalities

By the time Mike woke up it was 4:27 in the afternoon. He sat on his couch and reflected on last night's near fluke. Then he had a somewhat brilliant idea_. 'The animatronics are just robots right? Robots can be reprogrammed so, if I can figure out how...'_ Mike thought while running his fingers through his chocolate brown hair. He looked up to his laptop on the coffee table. "That's it!" Mike exclaimed. He picked up the laptop and typed up the local libraries' website.

When Mike arrived home He plopped down on his couch and opened the book he had brought from the library. The cover read: Animatronics for Idiots. Mike flipped through a few pages until he came across something interesting.

-Insert book annotations-  
>"Huh, well I guess this is gonna take some application." Mike muttered while scratching his deep 5 o'clock shadow. He read the passage again this time taking note of all the items he may need. He then stood and checked his watch. "5:01pm I've got time." Mike smirked, grabbed his keys, and left his home.<p>

Mike arrived at Freddy's carrying the book and a backpack full of tools strapped to his back. He warily walked through the front door as to not rattle the tools in his pack. It may have been late afternoon but children were still running around the pizza parlor while the Fazbear band sang. Mike could've sworn Bonnie was staring right at him. 

The guard disappeared into his booth and hid his pack and book under the decrepit desk. Mike's stomach grumbled as he stood. He clutched his belly and realized he hadn't eaten anything since he had woken up. "I might as well get a snack. I probably have an employee discount of somethin'." He quietly walked out of the room and sat at a table, trying to not invite any attention from the playing children. "Michael?" A female voice said. Mike turned his head and came face to face with a dirty apron that had the Freddy Fazbear's logo stitched onto it. Mike looked up and tilted his head in a puzzled expression. _'I've never seen this woman in my life.'_ He thought. She seemed to catch on to his confusion and rolled her eyes. "It's alright you don't have to know who I am. I'm just wondering what you are doing here." She asked. Mike's brain had to scramble for an excuse. "I-uh just came to see how the restaurant is during the day is all." The man stuttered. The waitress only shrugged and asked what he wanted to order. "Just a slice of pizza please and a coke." She wrote his order on the notebook clutched in her hand. She nodded then walked off towards the kitchen. 

Mike sat watching the band play. The song had a familiar tune like when you heard the ice cream truck coming down the street. The young watchman began spacing out and was startled when a plate of pizza landed in front of him. He thanked the waitress and began to eat. He watched the band then checked his watch. "It's probably time to close." Mike mumbled. Fewer children were present now and the remaining employees still lingering were starting to pack up. 

A good half an hour passed until the entire restaurant was deserted. Mike walked out of the stall and towards the row of sinks that lined the wall. He washed his hands then splashed his face. Drying his hands he looked at the reflection on the wall. Tired blue eyes with dark bags looked back. Water dribbled off Mike's fluffy Mohawk and beaded down his tanned hollow cheeks. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this..." He whispered grabbing another paper towel to dry his face off. He felt more awake and a bit more confident as he walked out of the restroom. 

The restaurant was quiet and empty. _'Perfect._' The brunette thought. He jogged down the hall and into the security office. After retrieving his bag the man made his way backstage.  
>Back here the air was musty and speckled with dust. Mike looked around cautiously. The room was filled with empty animatronic heads and a lone endoskeleton sat on the grubby table at the center of the room. The guard shuddered and dared not to stare to long. The thought of all of those unfortunate guards forever trapped inside of those suits.<em> 'No, stop. We have to focus.<em>' Mike walked up the short flight of stairs that led to the stage adjacent to the entrance. 

On stage the curtains were drawn and it was completely dark. The air was just as suffocating and stygian as backstage. In the darkness three bulky silhouettes stood stock still in silence. Mike pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and then went to work. He began with Bonnie since it was the closest to him out of the three. The man unzipped the fabric off the bunny's back. A metal plate was screwed shut and each screw looked pretty rusty. Mike shuffled through the black bag and pulled out a screwdriver. He jammed the driver into the first screw and got to work. Almost immediately rust began to fall and littered the floor. "How did you even make it this far?" Mike spoke softly. He checked his watch. _'10:11pm, I'd better work fast.'_ The brunette thought and began to put more effort into his actions.  
>After taking the plate off, Mike was met with a tangled mess of wiring. He shined the light into the endoskeleton and found what he was looking for: the motherboard. The young man then stuck his hand in and gingerly pulled out the large chip. He reached down and picked up a pair of pliers from his pack. <em>'If I remember this correctly this wire here goes there.'<em> Plucking the small wire from its bulb, the guard stuck it onto another small bulb atop the motherboard. Michael brought out an electric adhesive and glued the wire into place. He smiled at his handy work and put all of the fixtures back into their original positions.  
>He repeated this for the rest of the animatronics including Foxy and left no evidence of his work behind. Mike checked his watch. "Just in time." He said smiling. The young guard retreated to his office and waited, anticipation welling in his belly. Finally his watch beeped for midnight. Mike let out a breath, "Alright show time."<p> 


	3. Can You See Me Now?

After Mike heard the rather disturbing message on the phone he flipped up the tablet. Both Chica and Bonnie were gone and Freddy was staring at the camera. Foxy was out but instead of glaring at the camera it was looking off to the side towards the dinner. Mike tilted his head in confusion. _'What on earth is that thing staring at?'_ He pondered. He switched to camera 1B and saw both the chicken and rabbit in the dinner. Bonnie was sitting on a table and Chica was standing adjacent to the robot, its beak flapping about like a retarded barking dog. Bonnie nodded and flapped his jaws as well. Mike just stared at the two as they interacted. "Are they conversing?" He asked aloud. He checked the door lights and went back to the robots.  
>Freddy was now among them but was straightening the chairs and hats instead of talking. It shooed Bonnie off of the table and the rabbit complied. Mike became bored watching this and instead switched to the Pirate's Cove. Foxy was sitting on the edge of the small stage. It let its bare metal legs hang off the side and swung them to and fro. Mike sat back and checked the power gauge.<br>TIME: 1:00  
>POWER: 86%<br>USAGE: [||| ]  
>"Wow maybe this'll be easy after all." The man said rubbing his thighs absentmindedly.<br>A whole hour passed in peace and quiet, save for all the commotion in the kitchen. Mike was spinning around in his chair bored out of his 22 year old mind.

"Blugh! I've never been so bored in my life!" Mike exclaimed. He kicked some trash about and sighed_. 'You wanted an easy job dude and you got it.'_ The security guard thought almost berating himself for his brilliant idea of fixing the facial recognition in the robots. Turns out somebody from management had disabled that feature for some reason.  
>Mike lazily gazed up at the neon text on the wall.<br>TIME: 3:43  
>POWER: 73%<br>USAGE: [||| ]  
>He then looked at the tablet and saw that all of the animal performers were sitting in a circle in the dinner talking to each other. The brunette was nearly tempted to join them but thought against it. <em>'They may look docile but they're still more than capable of killing.'<em> The man groaned then pulled out his phone and started to play a game. 

Time passed and the watchman was now sleeping. His phone beeped an obnoxious tune telling him to wake up. Mike yawned and stretched his taut arms. He turned off the alarm, checked the door lights, and then opened the doors. Slumping in his chair he checked the power.  
>TIME: 4:37<br>POWER: 42%  
>USAGE: [||| ||]<br>He then checked his cameras and found that all of the animatronics were gone! "Oh fuck, this can't be happening!" He exclaimed. He checked all of the cameras. Bonnie was backstage and Chica was in the restroom with, oddly enough, Foxy but Freddy was gone. Mike looked high and low for that bear but came up empty handed. Without warning a low almost gleeful laugh echoed through Mike's office. 'Oh... dear... god' was all the security guard could think of before he was scooped out of his chair and flung into the west corridor. "Gah!" Mike cried out as he landed with a hard thud. Loud labored footsteps slammed on the ground slowly approaching the young man. Mike's breathing quickened and his body trembled in fear. _'This is my fault! I should've paid more attention. I should've seen this comin'!'_ Mike sputtered when the massive outline of Freddy towered over him. "S-stay back!" the man shouted. "Get the hell away from me!" He screamed before bolting down the hallway. Footsteps followed him but they were slower. 

Mike ran blindly through the dinner, rounded to the east wing of the building, and fled into the kitchen. Buckling over with his hands on his knees, Mike gasped for breath.  
>After his heart rate was back to normal Mike looked around. He has never set foot in here nor has he ever seen this room on the security footage. The kitchen looked just as horrid as the rest of the pizzeria. <em>'Ugh, I hate it here. Wait-!'<em> The guard searched frantically for the tablet which was, unfortunately, back in the office. "Crap! How could I have been so reckless?" Mike said.  
>Once again he heard those clanking footsteps. Mike looked around for a hiding spot then sprinted to the back of the kitchen. He slid underneath a tall wood pallet that was holding a box of food and was covered by a dinghy navy blanket. He silently thanked his genes for his small stature. <p>

Suddenly the double doors flew open. From what Mike could see two chicken feet stood near the doors. "H-he's not he-re Feddy!" A high pitched feminine voice squawked. A deeper baritone voice with a southern drawl replied, "Well kee-keep lookin'. He couldn't-t have gotten f-f-ar." If not for how adamant these things were about finding him, Mike would have just walked out. But he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against a 7-foot bear robot and a chicken possibly the same height. Not to mention he'd have to get around Bonnie and Foxy. Foxy was the real problem. The damn pirate was just so fast Mike doubted he could outrun him. The duo had left and Mike's brain was buzzing with plans to escape this hell hole like a bee hive. He arched into a ball and tried to clear his mind.

CRASH! 

_'What was that?'_ Mike peered out from under the blanket and saw Foxy sprawled out on the checkered tile. "Yargh! Ev-every time I set foot in here!" The fox cursed with a deep pirate accent and stood trying hard to keep balance but his metal feet couldn't get traction. His slipped again landing of his back. The animatronic growled then swiveled his head.

They made eye contact. 

Mike yelped jumping up and bashing his head on the pallet. The poor guard's head lolled and he groaned in pain. His vision was blurry and he felt dizzy. Mike could barely register the cold metal hand brushing the nape of his neck. Foxy grabbed Mike by the scruff of his black Freddy Fazbear security t-shirt and pulled him out from his hiding spot.  
>The man regained his bearings and twisted his head up, squinting in the dim light. The ugly fox robot stared at him with a glowing amber eye. Mike's cobalt eyes stretched in fear. He tried to jump up but was held by the iron grip of the pirate. He squirmed and struggled hard, "Let go! Let go of me!" He cried. Foxy only tighten his hold like a vise then cooed, "Easy now matey-ey. Ol' Foxy's not gonna hu-urt ya." <p>

Mike went still, tired from struggling. It took a moment for him to realize what Foxy had just said. "You're not gonna kill me?" He asked tilting his head. Foxy mimicked him, "No-o, why would I-I hurt ye?" The pirate fox asked. "You killed Phone Guy. Why am I any different?' Mike implored. Foxy thought about this then seemed to have some realization. "Are ya talkin' a-about that endo-doskeleton who was here bef-ore ya?" He asked. Mike nodded and swallowed a lump in his throat. "Oh, he-e's back in his-s suit." Mike almost vomited at that statement. Foxy saw him gag and patted his back then, "I don't kno-ow why yer out of yer-yer office lad but you better got back. Freddy's loo-okin' fer ya." Mike nodded with a hand on his mouth and small tears in his eye. Foxy curled his back looking into the human's eyes. "Are ya ship-shape laddie?" He asked. The young man nodded blinking away the tears. Foxy looked around then sighed, "Well-l let's be gettin' y-ya back." The pirate coiled his arm around the small guard and hoisted him up. Mike stumbled a bit but Foxy kept him steady. "Whoa-whoa easy sailor." Mike fumbled back to his office with Foxy on his shoulder. _'I know the facial recognition is fixed and I know I should relax but I still can't accept this hospitality. Who is to say that I not still subject to a gruesome death even if they do recognize me as human.'_ Mike sat in his chair heaving a bit. Foxy stood over him then pivoted his head back like and owl, looking at the neon numbers on the wall. "It-it's almost op-pening time. I best be-e gettin' back." He said snapping his head back and staring down at Michael.

The brunette nodded and looked back, despair filled his cerulean eyes. The pirate reached out and put a metallic hand on the human's shoulder. Mike flinched but didn't really react. Foxy gently squeezed Mike's shoulder before returning his arm to his side, "I best be going." He told the watchman before turning to walk out of the booth. Before he left, though, he looked over his tattered shoulder and spoke, "You best be keepin' an ey-e out for Freddy, lad. He won't be ta-akin' it easy tonight-night." And with that he walked out and left Mike alone.

Alone in a void of despair...


	4. Something Human

_I have no idea to leave real author notes but this will have to do. So, I know this chapter was a bit short but I've had a lot to do since the start of finals. Despite this I assure you that the next chapter will be much lengthier. Hopefully it will be up soon since Christmas break is coming up and I won't have much to do._

_*~Thank You~*_

Mike had, once again, arrived at Freddy Fazbear's pizzeria for his fifth night. Was death making preparations for him tonight? He didn't have a doubt in his mind it did. Why on earth was he still coming back? Well, since deciding that he didn't want anyone else to have to suffer, Mike returned again and again. As pure as his intentions were the young man still knew that if things became too much he would leave. _'And despite this reasoning I feel almost ready for Freddy.'_ He told himself while clutching the taser in his pocket. 'If I fry the bear I could be fired or worse but anything is better as long as I stay alive.' He unlocked then pushed open the entrance doors to the pizzeria. Locking them again, Mike turned and began to stride silently to his office.

The security guard sat in his chair and pressed the blinking red light on the phone which sat on the table. But instead of Phone Guy something unnatural, something inhuman began to speak. Horrific static voices can be heard over the phone's receiver. Grunting, groaning, and growling sounded through the office all over a distorted background. It all ended with a screech that almost gave the guard a heart attack. "Jesus! What the hell was that?" He cried out, clutching his chest. The brunette breathed through his nose then checked the door lights. Bonnie was standing in the doorway. Mike yelped and slammed his fist on the door button causing the door to come down with a bang. Bonnie tapped on the window with a gigantic paw then spoke with a light voice, "Hey there little buddy! Why won't cha open this do-or?" Mike just stared. Bonnie rolled his false eyes and sighed. "I won't bit-ite you." A squeaky voice with a light southern accent accompanied him, "Yes darlin', le-et us in-n." Mike didn't hesitate to slam the door on her. Chica made a "hmph" sound before storming off, muttering about how rude the guard was. Mike opened the door but kept his guard up in case the chicken returned. Bonnie spoke, "Oh look at what yo-you did! You better ge-et up and apologize." Bonnie scolded.

Mike paid him no mind and instead looked at the tablet. Foxy was back in his cove, the curtains were open, but he was messing with the props. Chica was talking to Freddy in the restrooms, she looked distressed. All of the animatronics were pretty far from the night guard's office and he was just fine with that. Except for Bonnie; the little shit won't leave! Mike looked up and stared at the cupcake on the table, silently praying for the rabbit robot to go away. The delicious treat always managed to freak him out. It had this... glare that Michael found unsettling. The man shook his head and looked to the window. Bonnie hadn't moved. _'Please just go away!'_ The watchman silently begged. He looked at the power.  
>TIME: 2:30<br>POWER: 45%  
>USAGE: [||| |||]<br>"Do you intend to stay there and waste all of my power you fucker?" The man muttered exasperatedly. He checked the door lights and then the cameras. Foxy was in his cove as always. _'He's been unusually quiet these nights but I guess that's a good thing.' _Mike thought. Freddy and Chica... wait... where are they? "What the hell? Where did you go?" Mike looked everywhere, slowly becoming frustrated that he couldn't find the bear and chicken. He sighed and put the tablet down.

BWAAAAAAA!

"FUCK!" Mike screamed and fell out of his chair. He crouched on all fours hysterically breathing while clutching the taser. "Ha ha! I got you back." Mike's eyes were a wide as dinner plates_. 'Chica you-you!'_ He thought upon seeing the giant animatronic towering over him. "That's what you get-t fer being so mean!" She squawked. "What do you want?" The guard asked pensively while turning around. Chica reached down and clutched his shirt, pulling him up, and then patting the dust off of him. "I-I just wanted to-to scare you is all, heh heh. I sure got'cha go-ood, huh?" Her mechanic voice sputtered a giggle. Mike backed up a bit and gripped the desk chair. "Is-uh is that all?" He asked. The mechanical bird put a hand under her big beak, "Hmmm, we-ll don't cha wanna se-ee the rest of the pla-ce?" She asked. 'No, I shouldn't leave but then again...' Mike looked down then spoke, "What do I look like to you?" Mike asked. "Like a hu-human dear-ear." Chica replied. 'So it did work!' The young man almost wanted to do a victory dance. His idea worked, but he wondered if it had any effect on Freddy. The bear had given him one hell of a toss the other night_. 'I have to make sure...'_ Mike contemplated, "Alright then, lead the way."


	5. Beta Chapter

**This isn't really a chapter update more of an apology letter. :P**

**know I haven't updated in a while and I'm sorry. There have just been so many things I have to keep up with and honestly I don't know where to go with this story. So, for the time being its going on hiatus for sometime. My account itself isn't taking a break but this story will until I can think of something. I have written some story for this but its short and I don't think it'll make sense in the plot. Anyway here you go.**

***~Thank You~***

Chica nodded and led Mike out of the room. Mike followed behind but kept a safe distance from the chicken and kept his hand hovered over the taser. She turned a corner then stopped causing Mike to bump into her. "Oof, sorry about that." He apologized.

She didn't respond.

_'Is she okay? It's not six yet is it?'_ The brunette wondered. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. "4:05..." The man mumbled. Chica suddenly jerked around startling Mike, "A-Alright this is the party ro-om!" She said cheerfully. _'What the hell happened, whatever as long as she's not trying to kill me.' _The security guard dismissed the sudden glitch in her system looked around, already somewhat familiar with the place since his boss had given him a tour earlier in the week. He nodded to the animatronic, sidestepped past her, and began to hesitantly walk around. Chica noticed his cautious gait. "De-ear there's no need to be afr-fraid." The robot chicken exclaimed. The man merely nodded and continued walking. Eventually he made it to the Pirate's Cove where Foxy was surely hiding. He reached out to pull the curtains but thought against it. Mike backed away and jogged back to Chica.  
>Again she was staring into space, beak at gape. Mike kept a neutral expression and waved a hand in her face. She twitched and blinked her false eyes, the lids clicking as they came up and down. "Hey do-o you want ta se-ee the kit-chen?" She asked. After some contemplation the young man declined. Turning his attention to the <strong>'SORRY! OUT OF ORDER'<strong> sign, "When did that get there?" Mike asked pointing to the cove. Chica didn't respond for several seconds until she pivoted her head to the stary curtains then; "That's F-Foxy's cove. The Pirate Cove." She stated begrudgingly. "Can we meet him?" Mike asked. The mechanical bird paused then gave a slow deliberate nod. Mike stepped aside to allow Chica to lead. _'I can at least have some peace of mind knowing that the facial thing worked. It would be nice to actually talk to him since he helped me.'_ The guard thought, following the animatronic.  
>Chica opened the purple star curtains and poked her head inside. "Arrgh! Who-o tha-a-at be?" That same piratey glitched voice Mike remembered so well questioned. "Yo-You've got a gues-st." Chica's voice was worse when she spoke to the fox that sat at the back of the dark stage. Silence then; "Let him in..." The animatronic stepped aside for Mike to walk forward, past her the guard stepped onto the low stage and was engulfed in darkness when Chica closed the curtains.<br>Mike slowly walked forward and stopped when he saw a glowing amber eye appear in the darkness. He gulped but said nothing.

Silence as neither robot nor man made a move.

Foxy became sick of the quiet and stood making Mike flinch from the sudden movement. The fox stepped forward "What do ye want boy?" He queried. Mike back up, feeling uncomfortable being so close to the fox. "I just wanted to say thank you." Foxy shifted on his metal feet. Why is he here? To say thanks, but he should be in his office right? "Ye shouldn't be out here. Especially wit Freddy wanderin' around." Mike knew he should be in his office no matter how docile the robots were but he just had to know. "What do I look like to you?" Mike asked…

**Aaaaand that's where it ends! I assure you that a new chapter will appear in the future just not anytime soon. Sorry for waiting so long to post this but I hope you enjoyed anyway!****  
><strong>****~~Until Next Time!~~****


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